PM Modi launches India's first underwater metro service in Bengal: 5 points

Kolkata underwater metro launch: Built at a cost of Rs 4,965 crore, the engineering marvel is part of the 16.6 km of the East-West Metro corridor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West corridor on Wednesday, branded as India's first underwater metro service.

Built at a cost of Rs 4,965 crore, the engineering marvel is part of the 16.6 km of the East-West Metro corridor. The project is being executed by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL).

Here are five things to know about India's first underwater metro route:

1) Spanning a 4.8-km stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade, the route connects key areas such as the IT hub Salt Lake Sector V. The project is India's first-ever transportation project where trains will ply under a river - Hooghly.

2) Of the total East-West Metro corridor, nearly 10.8 km is underground, including the tunnel beneath the river. The project has been executed with enhanced safety measures, including using features like anti-collision and automatic train control mechanisms.

Work began on corridor in 2009

3) The launch comes more than a decade after the work on the corridor first began in 2009 but faced multiple delays. The tunnelling work under Hooghly commenced in 2017. In April 2023, a successful trial journey was also executed under the bed of Hooghly through a tunnel 32 metres below the water level for the first time in India.

4) Prior to the launch of the new corridor, metro services in Kolkata ran on the north-south corridor from Noapara to Kavi Subhas stations over a length of 27.3 Km. This corridor was inaugurated 36 years ago, in 1984, a Centre's press release states.

5) Other than this route, Modi will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section of the New Garia-Airport Metro and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro section of the Joka-Esplanade Metro.